Chapter 18

Once she was safely away from the city, Aria stopped to catch her breath. A huge pine tree partially shielded her from the rain as she turned to check for pursuit. There was no sign of Hides-His-Heart or city watch officials. Just to be safe, though, she needed to find a place to hide.

She looked around and spotted an outcropping of rocks nearby. The topmost rock hung over just enough to protect her from the rain and the spot was small enough that she wouldn't be easily found. She scooted into the shelter and sat against the back wall. Now that she was out of the rain, the cold became her chief worry. Unfortunately, there was no dry wood to build a fire.

Who says I need wood to build a fire? She thought. She smiled and pulled off her gauntlets, then cupped her left hand around her right. A tiny flame grew in her palm, casting a minuscule, but very welcome heat on her hands. It didn't do much for the rest of her, but having that little bit of heat helped.

She pulled her legs up to her chest and kept the flame behind them to shield it. With her free hand, she dug a strip of dried beef and a sweetroll out of her bag. As she ate, she tried not to focus on her surroundings. This spot in the woods was actually staying dryer than her old shack on the Waterfront. She'd never liked storms, but that miserable little hovel had made it worse by leaking like a sieve.

Aria tried to imagine herself back in the Sanctuary. Dinner would be over by now, and Gogron would be cleaning up, probably with Teladendril's help, while the others sat around the living area. Ocheeva and Teinaava would be telling Antionetta stories of past contracts. Mraaj-Dar would be mixing up a new batch of poisons. Vicente would probably be reading, either sitting on the couch or on the floor near the fire.

Aria had almost succeeded in imagining herself there with him, enjoying her own book and the conversations going around the room, when a particularly close bolt of lightning lit up the night, followed by a deafening crack of thunder. She jumped, the flame dying in her hand as she curled up against the stone. If this storm didn't lighten up, it was going to be a very long day. She positioned her bag as a pillow and put Sufferthorn where she could easily reach it, then laid down. She curled into a ball and pulled Antionetta's cloak tightly around her. The cloak was still drenched, along with her clothes, but eventually, she grew warm enough to fall asleep.

The day passed slowly. Aria was woken several times by flashes of lightening or rumbling thunder. By evening, the worst of the storm seemed to be over, but the rain was still falling steadily. She tried sitting up and found that the cold ground had made her stiff. She sneezed. Great. The last time she needed was a cold from her damp clothes.

The rain continued to fall. Finally, she judged that it was late enough to continue her contract. Motierre's "body" should be in the Undercroft by now. She gathered her things and left the little cave. On the way back to the city, she broke into a jog to loosen her cramped muscles.

Sneaking back into the city was easy. The rain was still falling, so everyone was still covered in hooded cloaks, allowing her to blend in with the citizens returning to their homes. She plodded through the puddles in the street until she reached the chapel.

Only a handful of people were in the main sanctuary when she entered. A couple of them were kneeling at alters, praying to the Nine. Aria ignored them and kept her head down. At the back of the chapel, near the entrance, she found steps leading down to the Undercroft. She took a deep breath and slipped inside.

As the door closed softly behind her, Aria surveyed the Undercroft. A large room stretched out in front of her, alcoves for remains lining the walls. A couple of passages branched off from the main room, one on either side.

Let's get this over with, she thought. She wanted to be rid of Motierre and go back home. Still, she unconsciously walked as softly as possible, as though trying to not wake the dead. She peeked down the hallway to her left and saw nothing but graves and withered flowers, so she crossed to the other hallway. There, she saw a bier in the room at the end.

Motierre was lying on his back, hands folded across his chest. Antionetta removed the bottle of antidote from her pocket and looked at his prostrate form. Did she really have to wake him up? The man was cowardly and annoying. It would serve him right to stay here, trapped in this death-like sleep. But Aria was a loyal daughter of Sithis, and she needed to finish the contract.

She uncorked the bottle and held it beneath Motierre's nose. Vicente hadn't said how the antidote was to be administered, but Aria figured the potent smell would do the job. It worked, and a few moments later, Motierre'e eyes fluttered open. He sat up with a groan.

"Ohh...I'm a bit stiff, but quite fine otherwise" he said.

"Pity," Aria muttered as he looked around.

"Ah, yes, the Undercroft. My family members are buried here, you know. Which...um...leads me to something I may have failed to mention before." Aria raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. "My ancestors will see my 'revival' as a desecration of their tomb. This Undercroft is...well quite cursed. Any desecration will cause my ancestors to rise up from their graves and defend their resting place."

"You have got to be joking," Aria said through gritted teeth.

"I wish I was. I can hear them coming as we speak!" He grabbed her cloak. "You must protect me...escort me to the Grey Mare where I can buy passage out of Chorrol!" He looked over her shoulder and gasped. "Here they come! Oh, my, Aunt Margaret! You are looking the worse for wear..."

She could add liar to the list of Motierre's character traits. She pulled free and turned in time to see a female zombie shuffling toward them. She drew her sword and decapitated Margaret Motierre as soon as she came within reach. As Motierre protested her treatment of his relative, Aria grabbed him by the back of the neck and shoved him toward the door. Aunt Margaret, now headless, pursued them, followed by other members of the Motierre clan.

Aria followed Motierre to the door of the Undercroft. Motierre was so scared, he was struggling to get the door open. "Oh, get out of the way!" She snarled, shoving him aside. She got the door open and paused to throw a couple of fireballs into the crowd of undead closing in on them. As soon as Motierre was through the door, she followed and slammed the door behind them.

Once she caught her breath, Aria grabbed Motierre by the front of his shirt. "Any more surprises?"

Motierre cowered and tried to pull away. "No, no! I swear! I've told you everything!"

"Good. Now stick close and don't say a word or, so help me, I'll kill you myself." She let him go with a shove. After sheathing her sword and pulling her hood further over her face, she led the way upstairs. The few people that had been in the Chapel earlier were gone, giving them free access to the entrance.

Aria paused at the door and motioned for Motierre to pull his hood up. Once his face was concealed, they cautiously left the chapel. The rain helped them to blend in as they ran to the Grey Mare. The building was crowded with folks trying to pass the rainy evening.

Motierre pushed his hood back. "Ah, the Grey Mare! From here I will be able to arrange for transportation out of Cyrodiil. You have served me well, Assassin." Aria cringed and glanced around to see if anyone had heard him call her an assassin. Thankfully, the bar was crowded and noisy, and no one was paying attention. "Francois is forever in your debt!" He continued. He turned his head to look around the Grey Mare again, and when he looked back, Aria was gone.