Chapter 35

"What do you think is going on? Aria asked.

Antionetta shook her head. "I have no idea."

The two girls were mending clothes in the main room. Lucien had come to visit that afternoon and, after greeting everyone, had shut himself in Ocheeva's quarters with Vicente and Ocheeva. That had been over an hour ago.

Everyone was intensely curious at the unusual proceedings, but no one could answer their questions. The girls resigned themselves to waiting and tried to be patient.

"So how's your new spell training going?" Antionetta asked, trying to distract them both.

"It's harder than I thought, but I think I'm doing okay. Mraaj-Dar is a good teacher," Aria replied. It had been almost two months since she and Mraaj-Dar had reconciled. In that time, the Khajit had started teaching her more advanced spells. She was currently working on a chameleon spell that would turn her almost completely invisible. It was Illusion magic, which was a new area for her, and was more difficult than she had expected.

The tension between Aria and Mraaj-Dar had all but disappeared. He was still gruff and often spoke harshly, but the anger and distrust was gone. They often had full conversations during their training sessions, and Aria discovered that he actually had a sense of humor underneath that prickly exterior.

Antionetta finished with the final piece of clothing. "Come on. Let's go do some training or something. It seems clear they're not coming out any time soon."

The girls cleaned up and went to the training room. Soon, they were absorbed in a hand-to-hand exercise with Gogron. Points were scored for each successful hit. Aria and Antionetta sparred against Gogron, while Telaendril kept score.

The Orc was surprisingly nimble for his size. The girls had a hard time getting any points, while he was steadily widening the gap. Antionetta threw a punch and missed, only to be tossed halfway across the room a second later. Aria jumped on his back to try a chokehold, but he simply peeled her off and threw her, as well. "Come on, girls. You gotta do better than that."

Aria, still on her back, tipped her head up to look at him. "You're enjoying trouncing us, aren't you?"

"Of course! What kind of Brother would I be if I did otherwise?"

Aria rolled her eyes and let her head drop back. Suddenly, she saw Richard standing above her. The Dark Guardian simply pointed at the door. Aria sat up and looked at him. "I don't understand."

Richard pointed at her, then at the door again.

"I think he wants you to go somewhere," Gogron said.

"Maybe Ocheeva is summoning you!" Antionetta guessed. Richard nodded.

"All right, I'm coming," Aria said. Antionetta tossed her boots over, and Aria quickly pulled them on while Richard started for the door. She followed him to Ocheeva's quarters, where he stopped and stood next to the door.

Aria knocked and was told to come in. "Shut the door behind you, please," Ocheeva said. Aria did and was asked to have a seat at the table. Lucien was seated on the other side of the table, with Ocheeva and Vicente on either side.

Lucien spoke first. "Thank you for coming, Aria. We have a most important contract for you. One that has been sanctioned by the Black Hand itself."

"Do you recall the name Adamus Phillida?" Ocheeva asked. "The Imperial Legion pest? It's time he joined Sithis in the Void."

"Think you're up to the task?" Vicente asked.

Aria considered that for a moment. They were asking her to kill the man who had been such a problem for the Brotherhood. She didn't need more than a minute to think. "It would be an honor. I accept."

All three nodded. "Good," Ocheeva said. "Adamus Phillida has spent his entire career investigating the Dark Brotherhood, interrupting our contracts, killing our family members!"

Vicente reached across the table and touched her arm to calm her. "We've tried to eliminate Phillida, of course, but failed on three separate occasions. One of those occasions was when we learned of Sho-riah's betrayal. But Phillida is a powerful man, and has always been surrounded by powerful associates."

"Now, the Legion pig's years of service have come to an end," Ocheeva said. "He has retired. Phillida must not be allowed such a victory. His destiny is...darker."

Vicente laid a map on the table. "Phillida now resides in Leyawiin, in the City Watch barracks, an honored guest of the soldiers there. He believes he is safe. He is, in fact, more vulnerable than ever."

Aria looked at the three of them. "What must I do?"

Lucien reached under the table and brought out a single ebony arrow. "The Black Hand has sanctioned the Rose of Sithis. It is a magical arrow specifically enchanted to kill its target. In this case, Phillida. As long as the arrow hits Phillida, he will die."

"What's the catch?" Aria asked.

"The Rose cannot pierce armor. Shoot while Phillida is armored, and it will be wasted."

Ocheeva nodded. "Travel to Leyawiin. Track Phillida. Learn his schedule. Observe when he removes that blasted Legion armor. And then, let fly the Rose of Sithis!"

"Kill Phillida in any way," Vicente continued, "Rose or not, and the contract is complete. But to receive a bonus, you must go beyond murder."

"Beyond murder?"

"You must send a message," Lucien responded. "Once Phillida is dead, take a finger from his corpse, the one that bears an Imperial Legion signet ring. Deposit this finger in the desk of Phillida's successor. His office is in the Imperial City Prison Barracks. Do this, and the bonus is yours."

"One further detail, however," Vicente cautioned. "Phillida may be retired, but he'll likely have a bodyguard, probably a member of the Leyawiin City Watch. You may have to dispose of him, as well."

"Any questions?" Ocheeva asked.

Aria considered everything she had learned. This would certainly be a challenge. But the entire Brotherhood was depending on her. She couldn't back down. "I'll leave immediately."

"Before you go," Lucien said, "there's one more thing we must do." He stood up, followed by the others. Vicente offered a hand to Aria and led her to the center of the room. Ocheeva stood on her left side and placed her hands on Aria's shoulder. Vicente did the same on her right. Lucien stood in front of her and placed his hands on her head.

"I lay upon you now the Night Mother's Blessing." As he spoke, their hands all began to glow. "May she walk with you always and guide your hand to act in accordance with the Five Tenets."

The glow faded and they dropped their hands. "The Night Mother's Blessing will help you succeed on this contract," Lucien said. "Take every precaution, and come back safely to us, child."

Ocheeva gave her a hug. "Yes, be very careful. We have complete faith in you and your abilities, but I'll feel better when you're safely home. Now, we'll give you and Vicente a moment alone."

She promptly shooed Lucien from the room. As soon as they were alone, Vicente took Aria in his arms. "Honestly, I wish one of the others were going."

Aria frowned. "Why? Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you. It's just..." Vicente sighed. "This contract...there's so much riding on it. On you. That's a lot of pressure. And pressure can lead to mistakes."

Aria laid her head on his shoulder and tightened her grip. "I know. I'll be careful."

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," Aria replied without hesitation.

Vicente sighed again. "Then I won't stand in your way."