They both hesitated, unsure of what would – or should – happen next. Sable's instincts returned and her eyes darted to and fro around the room and back to the mage standing in front her trying to put together a way to escape. He seemed to recognize her impulse and took a step back from her.

"I don't intend to harm you." He said calmly. "Believe it or not, I'm rather overjoyed at what happened here." He reached down and picked up her elven daggers. "I will give these back to you, if you agree you at least hear my explanation for what just happened. Afterwards, we can decide to either help each other or try to kill each other. I'm beginning to suspect our goals will be the same."

"Hand me my blades," the assassin replied, "I'm listening."

"I'll keep it as short as I can since it is likely more will arrive when they decide Varskil has taken too long." With that said, he quickly glanced to the door as if expecting it to burst open at that moment. When it didn't happen, he turned back to her. "First, a formal introduction – I am Sionis." He said pulling back the hood of his robes. Sable's breath caught for just a brief second. He had a short mess of dirty blonde hair that swept from right to left perched above the most intense eyes that were colored with a brown so dark one might mistake them as black at a distance. He had a sharp but strong jawline. Stubble matching the same dirty blonde color of his hair framed is mouth and covered his chin. He looked younger than she expected, but had an air of maturity in his eyes that told her that he – like herself – had seen more than most well beyond his age.

"I am The White Deathbell." Sable replied not wanting to give him her name just yet.

"Fair enough," he conceded. "Here's the story. I worked for these skooma dealers, but not willingly. A former friend apparently owed them a debt and offered to have me help them with a favor in exchange for cancelling the debt. I was less than pleased with what I had been volunteered for, but agreed to it in order to spare my friend from whatever punishment would otherwise be meted out. Once the work was done, they kept their word and let my friend out of the debt, but decided that I now knew too much about their organization to allow me out of their service. They took my younger sister captive, telling me they would … find some way for her to 'help' with the operation if I did not work for them." He paused having to fight his rage back down at the thought of his sister's predicament. "So, when I saw you in the rafters of the warehouse along with everything you had done, I figured perhaps this was the chance I had been waiting for and took the risk. I did not…"

"Wait, you saw me?" Sable interrupted shocked.

"Well, perhaps those are not the appropriate words." Sionis explained. "Varskil never knew about this, but I would always speak an incantation that allows me to see an aura of all nearby living things before entering anywhere with my employers. I figured it would come in handy if they ever decided to … terminate my services."

"Anyway," he continued, returning to his story. "Initially, I was going to tip off Varksil, but when I saw the dead argonian I decided stay quiet about you and see how it would play out. So I presented the scene you set that he was too stupid to see. Though I must say I didn't expect you to just drop down on us. Truly, Miss Deathbell, you are a whirling dervish of death."

Sable smiled at his last statement.

"So, as I said, I suspect our goals are the same. Unless I'm very much mistaken, we both mean to eradicate these skooma dealers, no?"

"You are not mistaken." Sable confirmed. "Though my reason is far less noble than yours."

"It doesn't matter to me." The mage said forcefully before catching himself and softening this tone. "I want them destroyed. And I would like your help doing so."

"And if I decide not to give you aid in your quest?" She asked.

"Then I will go alone." He replied evenly. "I know I took a risk on you, but I've made my move. I must now see this through. I will obliterate them or die trying."

Sable had already decided to join forces with Sionis long ago, but she had wanted to see his resolve. "If you die trying it means you'll have my blood on your hands, mage. I'm coming with you."

He smiled. And it was a wondrous sight. "Good. I'm going to enjoy killing them. Every one of them I murder will only increase my joy."

Now Sable smiled. Oh, she liked this one. She had to bring herself back to the task at hand though.

"So we're off to Cragslane Cavern, I assume?" She asked.

He turned a surprised look on her. "How did you know about that place?"

"Just a guess," Sable answered, "It was the only thing I could find in this place that offered any hint at where the rest of the operation is."

"Cragslane Cavern does house the bulk of their business including the leaders," Sionis confirmed, "but we are not yet done here I'm afraid."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, there will be others that will eventually come here looking for Varskil." The mage answered. "Your actions here this morning cut the head off of the trade here in Riften, and I commend you for it. But this serpent can still be dangerous as it goes through its death throes."

"Ok, so analogies aside, what are we expecting?" The assassin asked.

"If you recall, the dealers were gearing up for an attack on the thieves guild." He replied. "The six of us were just the lead group that was coordinating it. Varskil had brought another 20 – at least – in for the assault. They will eventually grow restless and come investigate as to what's taking us so long to detail a simple assault."

Sable cursed.

"I agree." The mage said. "We must set out for Cragslane immediately and put as much distance on the horde as possible."

"We can't do that." The white haired Nord refuted. "To allow that many enemies to remain at our backs would be foolhardy. Besides, even without the leadership, they will probably still attempt the assault on the thieves."

"Good." Sionis countered empathetically. "Let them be distracted for while we strike at the heart of the beast. Perhaps they even win out and Skyrim is rid of two criminal organizations at once."

Sable couldn't keep the look of incredulity from her face. "Do you not see the organization I belong to?"

The mage looked her up and down. His eyes opened with understanding as the realization hit him. "You're an assassin." She nodded confirmation. "Are you telling me the Dark Brotherhood was contracted to assassinate the skooma dealers and sent only you?"

"That's not quite how it went down, but it seems that's what it ended up being." Sable replied. "What you see here is a former member calling in old favors. And I'm not sure even he has enough collateral for this. I may kill him just on principle when this is all over."

"I see." Sionis clearly remained confused but was apparently not going to press it further. "Well, I hope you have an idea then. There's no way we can fend off the whole force ourselves."

"True, but that doesn't mean we can't leave some surprises for them. Can your magic be used to set a trap?"

"Indeed, it can." The mage smiled beginning to see the plan this lovely yet murderous woman was concocting. "And I think I may have just the perfect spell for them."

They both watched the warehouse from the near bank of Lake Honrich. Just as Sionis had said, the thug "infantry" of the skooma dealers eventually got impatient and came to investigate. They both smiled at the cracks of electricity and dying screams as the men encountered the magical trap the mage had laid for them. The explanation he had given her awhile before still confused her.

"It's a variant on a lightning rune spell." He had explained when they had still been in the warehouse. "Normally, there is a discharge of lightning when someone crosses the threshold of the rune. I've added a renewing arc to the spell. It uses the small amount of latent magical ability present in everyone as a conduit to bounce to new targets."

Sable just nodded pretending to have understood.

"I haven't figured out how to make it discriminate between friend or foe yet though, so once I lay the runes be careful not to get too close to them. I only wish the initial casting was more controlled and auspicious."

She had started to back away when the realization of what he said hit her. "Wait, you've never tried this before!?" His look of confusion at her concern answered her question well enough. "How do you know it will work like you say it will?"

"Oh, I'm very sure that it will work perfectly." Sionis had assured before mumbling something else she didn't quite catch. When he went back to his work as if the matter had been settled, she sighed and left the warehouse leaving him to the casting.

About an hour later, they watched as the horde forced their way into the warehouse. A short time later, they triggered the spell trap. It wasn't hard for Sable to imagine the sheer pandemonium that must have ensued. It made for some delightful mental images.

Eventually, the chaos began to subside. The screams and cracks of lightning died down and went silent. Sable insisted they stay and keep watch for another hour to make sure that no survivors came staggering out.

"Well, now you know that your spell works as intended." The white-haired assassin commented.

"Yes, indeed." Sionis replied. "Thank you for providing me an opportunity to try it Miss Deathbell."

She giggled. "You can call me Sable."

Now that they were satisfied, they left; heading north to Cragslane Cavern.

It had taken all that day and most of the following night to reach their destination though it was still dark as the pair began a cautious approach on Cragslane Cavern. They still had the cover of night, but with how long it took to travel, they couldn't have had much more than a couple of hours before dawn at best.

"Should we make a camp and come back after dusk?" Sionis asked.

"No." Sable answered. "This may actually be ideal."

"How do you figure that?" the mage questioned. "We can't be that far away from dawn. If we are going to attack now, it will have to soon."

"There's a chance that those that are awake and guarding the place are close to the end of their shift and tired." The white haired Nord explained. "Sleepy eyes notice less." She paused. "But you're right on our need to move quickly."

"So, what's the plan of attack then?"

"Plan?" The assassin faltered momentarily. "Yeah. I kill everyone. And we do so swiftly and silently." A moment later she looked back to her companion. "Unless there is anything about their defenses I should know."

"I'm not sure what the guard looks like at night. During the day it would be exceedingly difficult since almost every chamber is used and would see various members of the cartel going about various tasks." The mage explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Well, then," Sable sighed. "We'll have to move through them quickly and kill as many as we can before they rise for the day. But, we must also move absolutely silently. How stealthy can you be?"

In answer, Sionis turned and mumbled. A moment later a light blue glow washed over his form momentarily. He then turned back to her and stamped his feet on the ground. No noise came from his movements. He lifted an eyebrow and smirked a bit, using his expression to ask if she was satisfied.

"A muffle spell?" She asked. She hoped that her having some knowledge of his craft would surprise him, but there was only disappointment.

"Yes, very similar to the one your boots are enchanted with." He answered. At first she was surprised, but then thought back to their meeting. For a mage, it wouldn't be hard to guess that her boots were enchanted after seeing her leap from the rafters to the floor without any sound from her impact.

"Ok, but what happens when the spell wears off?" Sable continued to question. "Can you cast it silently?"

"No, not silently, but I will try to be as quiet as I can." He replied.

"I guess there's no helping that." The curvy Nord replied. "However, being silent is one thing. Can you also stay out of sight?"

"I can make myself invisible." The blonde mage said with a measure of pride. "No really." He insisted upon seeing the doubt on his companion's face. "It's a spell. When I said I can make myself invisible, I was speaking literally."

Her countenance brightened. "Then we've won!" The assassin exclaimed. "The pandemonium that will break loose when they have destruction unseen rain down upon them will be..."

"Umm … there is a problem with that idea." The mage piped up over her excitement. He hated to squash her delight (however disturbing it might be), but disappointed would be better than dead.

"And that would be?" Sable asked a bit impatiently.

"Invisibility spells are extreme fragile. The beneficial effect is nullified upon taking almost any action other than basic movement." He explained

"You mean if you attack someone, the spell is broken?" The assassin asked incredulously.

"I believe that's what I just said." Sionis replied.

"I'm guessing you thought so, just not in recognizable English." Sable countered with a grin.

"It must have been if you understood what I meant!" The flustered wizard huffed.

Sable smiled inwardly. Finally she managed to knock him off his pedestal a bit.

"Ok, then." She said after a moment of thought. "I guess we don't get the win too easy this night."

"You're saying this is easy?" Sionis asked incredulously.

"Go ahead and cast the spells to make you silent and invisible." She continued, ignoring his question. "But stay back a short distance. I'll take point and take down everyone we find. If I get into trouble or by some chance I miss someone, put them down. But then get yourself unseen again."

"So, I'm playing the role of tactical support?"

"I believe that's what I just said." Sable replied with a gleam in her eyes. "Let's go. We're losing the only thing working in our favor."

Sionis cast the needed enchantments on himself and followed her into the den of evil unsure if either of them would make it back out.

He was pretty sure they were not going to survive the assault. It had been going quite well for a while. Almost boring for him in fact. Sable's ability to kill without being detected was majestic. They had made it through the first three chambers of Cragslane Cavern before he has messed up and brought the whole cartel down upon them.

A number of thugs lay dead behind them. Some had been sleeping when the assassin came upon them. They would never wake again. It happened just as they came into a rather large cave in the complex. They had come out of a tunnel onto a ledge that nearly ran the length of their end of the cave. There was a guard on either side of the ledge to watch the entrance. A moment after Sable had crept out and went to her left to deal with one of the guards. The other on the opposite end perked up and turned toward where the assassin had just been and began walking toward. A moment later the guard she had gone after crumpled to the ground. Even if she hadn't caught the other guard's attention before, the mage was sure she had it now. He hadn't done a single thing but renew his muffle and invisibility to this point, but now it had been time for him to act. When the thug drew a nasty looking hooked mace, the adrenaline that had kept him tense and alert surged anew and pushed him over the edge. After that moment, he had known nothing else but his instincts to protect his assassin companion.

He stayed still until the guard passed right in from of him at the entrance to the cavern. Then he had cast his spell. As the invisibility cracked and dissipated altogether, there had been a brief moment when the henchman's eyes went wide in surprise before the lightning bolt slammed into his chest and threw him across the room with a loud crack as the air around it had been torn asunder. The thug crashed right into the middle of the pack of dogs fenced in a makeshift kennel.

Sinois groaned in shame. In heat of the moment, he had forgotten about the dogs. It wasn't even a second later when Sable appeared in his face, a look of disbelieving rage painted across her face.

"Why in Oblivion did you do that!?" He could barely hear her over the barking of the dogs now alerted to the intruders. "I had that one dead. I just needed to wait for him to come to me!"

The wizard had been speechless in the face of her anger.

"Doesn't matter now." Her expression softened a bit when she had seen his speechless regret. "Get yourself ready for a fight. We're about to have all we can handle."

As if on cue, the drug dealers had begun pouring in from various corridors in various states of dress, but all of them armed. Again, he had to take a moment to catch his breath when he watched Sable meet them head on. It was almost like she was dancing through them. It was smooth. It was fluid. It was as deadly as it was beautiful. And it caused their blood to rain to the floor behind her every movement.

Sionis had come out of his trance just in time as one of the villains had come in behind her. She didn't seem to notice and just as he was about to strike, he cast a new spell. A split-second later the ice spike had slammed into the man's head and dropped him to the floor.

After he had started casting to support her, it didn't take them long to figure out his position and come at him. He killed several of them before they had reached him, but it wasn't much of fight at that point. Being a mage, he was no good at close combat.

The last thing he saw before he blacked out was a concerted effort to overwhelm and put down the assassin sowing death through their ranks. They had tried at least. He tried to take comfort in the hope that maybe they had done enough damage to the organization that it would be awhile before they could operate again. Then he knew no more.

Lod was probably one of the few that actually enjoyed being a messenger. Well, most of the time anyway. This last assignment was one of the strangest he had ever done. It had all started in The Bee and Barb Inn in Riften. A woman in a cloak had approached needing a message carried and had insisted on him leaving that very night. At first he had objected, but the amount of money she had pushed his way persuaded him. Well, that and she was quite striking with the fairest skin he'd ever seen on a Nord along with white hair and pale silver-blue eyes. He might have done the job for her for less money, but why argue when a client was rushed and offering far more than the task was worth. The customer was always right.

And so he had set out that night, using his new found fortune to rent a horse from the stable outside. If he even hoped to avoid all the bandits, spiders, and other nasty things that roamed about the countryside at night, he would need to be able to move very swiftly.

He stopped only to rest in towns or villages such as Ivaarstead and Riverwood. He actually hadn't needed to stop in Riverwood. He had not travelled a full day upon reaching the town and probably could've pressed on, but he decided it would be better for both him and his client if he was well rested for the last leg of the journey. Surely one night's delay wouldn't cause any problems.

And so on the second day out from Riften he had arrived in Falkreath and this is where his instructions had become rather odd. The cloaked woman had told him to walk out of the hold city through the cemetery to the west of the city and once he was outside of hearing distance of the city guard to begin shouting the recipient's name. He was instructed to keep walking to the west while doing so, and it shouldn't be too long before he would be able to deliver his message.

It hadn't been long indeed when he was confronted. A Redguard man suddenly appeared a few steps ahead. He carried a large scimitar and wore a rather distinct set of black and sanguine leather armor. He stared at the messenger with dark eyes that were calm yet also threatened a world of malice if they deemed the encounter between them didn't go the way he wanted.

Lod had seen his type before. This man was a killer; pain and simple. And he held no remorse about the nature of his profession.

"And who is it that calls for Astrid?" The armored man asked in a deep rich voice that was as cold as Nordic steel in a snow storm.

"I … I'm a courier." Lod stammered in reply. "I was hired to bring Astrid a message. That's all."

"I see," the Redguard replied. "I will relieve of your burden. Give the message to me and I'll see that she gets it."

"I … I can't," the messenger argued nervously. "I was told … told to give the message to Astrid only."

"Astrid is my mistress," the man clarified drawing his curved sword, "and I'll not compromise her safety for anything. Give me the message and I'll take it to her. Or if you'd rather, I can take it from your corpse."

Lod smiled at hearing the threat and upon seeing the confusion on his adversary's face, he explained.

"The person I'm delivering this for told me that anyone threatening to kill me rather than take me to Astrid would be good hands to entrust the message to." He slowly reached into his tunic and pulled the folded piece of paper from a pocket and held it out to the man in the leather armor.

The Redguard reached forward and took it from him. He then, turned and walked away without another word. Lod breathed a sigh of relief and headed back toward Falkreath to find an inn and get drunk.

For his part, Nazir went immediately back to the Sanctuary. He needed to get the message to his matron as soon as possible. Based on what the courier had said, he figured that the note had come from one of the family and so, out of respect for his brother or sister, he did not open it. It was meant for Astrid.

A few moments later, he passed through the door into the home of the Dark Brotherhood and approached Astrid, the leader of the assassin's guild. The tall blonde Nord greeted him as he came near.

"A message for you my mistress." Nazir stated. "Delivered by courier."

"Thank you, Nazir." She replied before turning her attention to the parchment and opened it.

A moment later her face drained of color as a waterfall of worry washed across it.

"Could you travel?" Astrid questioned urgently.

"I have no con…"

"I mean immediately." She cut him off. "Right now."

"Yes. If it's urgent, I'm ready to leave this moment."

"Good. Stay here." She said hurriedly. "I'm going to get Babette, my husband, and anyone still here. I'll be right back. We're leaving immediately."

"Mistress, may I ask that cause for such alarm and a response of this magnitude?"

Astrid handed him the note and then ran down further into the system of caves that served as their home. He opened it and his eyes went wide as he read it.

Send help. Quickly.

-Sable