A/N Sorry for the slow update. I've been at loss for ideas, but when I started this chapter, the ideas just flowed from my fingertips. I wrote the bulk of this chapter yesterday, staying up 'till 12:30 A.M. I hope you like it! Please R&R. Thanks for reading! P.S. some of this chapter was inspired by the Judas Priest song of the same name.

Chapter 6

I climbed down the ladder in the well entrance to the Sanctuary. I had been rewarded the key when I completed the Motierre contract. It's invaluable when I'm running from the guards or I wish to remain unseen.

I had just returned from the Imperial City, where I was contracted to murder a Skooma addict, a High Elf named Faelian. It was an easy assignment, as his wife was very forthcoming with information, and my target secluded himself in an empty house, securing my bonus.

I walked to Ocheeva's quarters. She was still awake, despite the late hour, so I knocked gently on her door.

"Come," I heard her call. I entered the room, quietly closing the door behind me. She was sitting at her desk, pouring over reports and new contracts. She works so hard for us, our Den-Mother, and we all know it and are grateful.

"Ah, Eveandril, you're back from your contract. Congratulations on a job well done; you managed to secure your kill without alerting the guards and with no witnesses. Here is your payment, and a very special bow as your bonus," she handed me a purse of coins and a steel bow that glowed green with enchantment. "It will damage your target's mana as well as infect their bloodstream. They will also become more susceptible to poison. Hunt well, my sister," I left her to her work.

I felt my stomach complain at its emptiness, but I refused the call.

It was four years ago today my sister was murdered in her sleep, and it had been fifteen years since my mother was killed. I found it amazing how all my grief is contained in one day.

To mourn them, I had created a ritual of my own, using what I remembered of them. The first part of my ritual is my disguise, the amulet, which was my first enchanted item of masking, which I would keep on my person, but not wear, to remember the day I had revealed myself to my 'father.' Secondly, I fast for a week, to commemorate my time at the Waterfront and brief stay in Skingrad. Before the last section of my ritual, I sharpen Heart's Woe and oil its scabbard, remembering how my mother used to do the same every night, but also reminding me of how it failed to protect my sister from death. The last part of my mourning consists of vigorous training, in the hope that these events will not be repeated.

I paused in the Training Hall, praying silently.

Mother, I cannot express in words how much I love you. I had hoped to grow and prosper with your guiding hand, but alas that was not to be. I am grateful for the time we had together, and yet I still wish for you to have been there, to stop Father from casting us out and sending an assassin after us and to help me become the woman you wished for. I thank you for all you have done for me, shaping my life in the best way you could, but I wish I had payed more attention to your lessons and appreciated you love more. I wish I could have stopped him before the vial was poured into your wine; I wish I was not the child then, but the woman I am now. Sometimes, I wonder if this is how you pictured me as an adult, a cold-blooded killer. I will never know if my life would be different, had you or Melyndra not been killed. I love you so much. I miss you.

Dearest Melyndra, I mostly do not speak your name, as the word only brings painful memories. I do not wish you to be here with me, and yet I sometimes crave your presence. Your heart is too kind for this place, but in these times I feel as if you are the only one who understands me. The others are kind, but I do not feel the same connection with them as I had with you. You were my sanity, my heart's companion. We were kindred spirits; we always knew what the other was thinking, and rarely needed to express anything in words. No one could be the same; no one will fill your place completely. I hope the after-life is better than this imperfect world I live in. I love you and I miss you so much.

I started the painful process of training without rest. In the training I found a little peace of mind.

When I almost collapsed from exhaustion and replaced my blade in its scabbard, I realized I was crying, a rare occurrence. The tears ran down my cheeks and clung to my hair. I sat in the corner of the room, knees to my chest, head bowed, body shaking from silent sobs. Little droplets squeezed through my closed eyes, dancing on my dark red lashes, jumped off them, tracing my cheekbones and skirting my quivering mouth before falling and catching themselves on the tips of my sanguine waves.

I don't know how long I sat there, alone, thinking about those I had lost, praying for them. I had not lost loved ones to death only, but also to revenge; in revenge I was blinded. I forgot the one last person I cared for in Kvatch to protect him from the assassin. I had not told him where I was going, in case the assassin tried to extract information, and, when my boy refused, Kim would kill him. I knew my boy would not tell anyone where I had gone, had I told him. That was why I loved him; he would never betray me. He was the only other person I trusted.

Suddenly, I heard shouting in the Commons. It was not joyous shouting, they sounded worried.

I dashed away the tears before sprinting out of the Training Hall. The sight that greeted me was far from pleasant. Talaendril was dragging Gogron and M'raaj-Dar into the centre of the room, crying for help at the top of her lungs.

I ran to them. Gogron was writhing on the ground, and arrow embedded deep in his left arm, but M'raaj-Dar was barely moving.

"What happened?" I asked Talaendril quickly.

"I don't know! I found them outside. Gogron keeps babbling about an attack and M'raaj-Dar was simply muttering 'it was him' over and over again. Please help them!"

I pulled out the arrow from Gogron's arm and examined it.

Shit! It's poisoned! Wait a moment, this smells familiar...

"Talaendril! Grab my Alchemy kit and rouse Vicente and the others; I'll need all the help I can get!"

She moved off in the direction of the sleeping quarters.

I heard a gasp behind me as Ocheeva came running, alerted by Talaendril's cries.

"Ocheeva, find some bandages, some hot water, and something to sterilize these wounds!" I added as I found several cuts on M'raaj-Dar's arms, chest and one across his nose. She scurried off to find these items as Talaendril brought me the Alchemy kit, Vicente, Teinaava and Antoinetta trailing behind her.

I set up the kit and proceeded to test the poison, trying to see what properties it had and what potion would cure it.

"Teinaava, Antoinetta, go get something for put Gogron and M'raaj-Dar on! A mattress, a pillow, anything! Quickly!" I added needlessly, as both were already on their way.

"Vicente, check their cuts, and see if there's any infection. I want to know the symptoms of this poison," he moved with a speed I had never before seen.

After everyone had come with the items I had asked for, I set to work making our patients comfortable. I placed them on the mattresses and pillows Antoinetta and Teinaava brought and washed, sterilized and bandaged their wounds with Ocheeva's help. Vicente informed me of symptoms I had observed once before. No! It can't be!

"Can you cure them?" Ocheeva was keeping a calm air.

"I don't know. I don't recognize this poison's properties." I didn't have a cure.

I managed to stabilize Gogron and M'raaj-Dar's conditions and both were sleeping soundly, but the poison remained in their systems. They would be dead before the dawn of the second day if I couldn't find a way to help them.

The whole sanctuary was grim, but Talaendril was in tears. She loved Gogron, though she did not admit it. I knew this because of the way she looked at him, and he at her. Inter-racial couples were frowned upon in normal society, but there were no such rules here. At first I had wondered if Sithis forbade any relations between Dark Brother and Dark Sister, but it seemed that this was not the case.

"What do we do now?" Vicente asked in his ever-calm voice. This man was the closest thing to a father I have ever had. Even my foster parents felt more like older siblings instead of parents.

"We cannot just stand here and do nothing!" Talaendril's voice was quavering.

"There is one person who I think can help," I finished bandaging Gogron's arm.

"Who do you mean, Eva?" Antoinetta had lost all her childish air and I saw the serious woman inside of that bubbly little sister.

"Lucien is versed in more poisons than I am. I will ride for Fort Farragut immediately."

"But we need you here, can no one else go?" Antoinetta asked.

"I am the swiftest runner and I am not needed here, for though I can heal and am an alchemist, there is nothing I can do for them. You all have ways of helping them while all I could do would be to stand, pace and worry. You must see my logic!"

"But what if they relapse?" Teinaava spoke, and I noticed he was barely holding onto a calm exterior.

"There is nothing else I can do. They will be fine, and if they do relapse, Talaendril knows enough healing to help them. I should be back in a couple hours at most," I bolted for the ladder before my Brothers or Sisters convinced me otherwise. Caring not if the guards saw me undisguised, I ran out the gates to the town, jumped on my horse who was waiting outside, and dashed to the fort.

~{::}~

I arrived at Fort Farragut half-an-hour later, after a hard ride through forest. My horse was panting, for though it was a short distance between the fort and Cheydinhal, I had pushed her to a great speed.

I passed the front entrance, instead looking for a hidden exit, one that I knew a man like Lucien would have. It wasn't long before I found a tree with a side that shimmered slightly. I wouldn't have noticed it had I not been trained in magic.

I stepped through the screen of Illusion magic and found a metal trapdoor.

I immediately yanked it open and hastily climbed down the ladder.

A startled-looking Lucien sat at a table, paper strewn everywhere and a glass of wine at his lips.

In the corner of the room was a bed, next to it a bookshelf filled with many books. There was a chest to my right and a cupboard next to it. The walls of this place were decorated with hangings, all with the same Black Hand symbol. I saw the same magicka protecting this room as the Sanctuary has.

He stood, replacing the glass on the table, and swiftly walked toward me.

"My dear Sister, what is wrong? I doubt this visit is purely a casual one," though he did not show it, I sensed a concerned air about him.

"It's M'raaj-Dar and Gogron," I gasped, "they've been poisoned!"

"By whom?" his deep voice had a deadly quality to it.

"I don't know, but the poison is one I'm not familiar with. Please, Lucien, we need your help," that was the first time I used his name. In my worry, I had forgotten all formality.

"We will leave immediately, but let me first gather some ingredients and my Alchemy kit."

I helped him with the task, and I noticed he grabbed a few papers as well. Cure recipes? I didn't have time to dwell on it, as we were racing up the ladder and out into the cold night air.

"My horse is just over here," I gestured to the road.

"We shall take my mare, she is fresh and fast. Come! She is over here," he led me into the forest and to a clearing only a little way inside. There a beautiful mare stood, with eyes of sanguine and a coat as black as the void. She greeted Lucien with a shake of her mane and trotted up to us. I was startled by the intelligence she showed when she studied me with careful eyes. Satisfied that I posed no threat, she butted her head against Lucien's arm.

He saddled her and placed a bridle over her nose.

"Come, we must ride as quickly as we can if we want to save our Brothers," he helped me into the saddle and jumped gracefully onto Shadowmere's back behind me.

He pressed his heel gently into the mare's side, and she suddenly galloped full pace, like an arrow shot from a full-drawn bow. I couldn't believe how fast she was, she was absolutely amazing. We covered ground as if we were flying above it, and arrived in Cheydinhal a scant fifteen minutes later.

As soon as she slid to a stop, I leapt from the saddle, Lucien just behind me, and bolted for the gate to the city. Again, we didn't care if the guards noticed a hooded figure and a girl in Dark Brotherhood armour running into the abandoned house; our Brothers were more important that secrecy. The guards could be either bribed or killed later.

We raced to the well entrance and dropped down the last few rungs. Talaendril, Antoinetta and Ocheeva were caring for our Brothers, and Teinaava and Vicente were talking in hushed tones.

"Speaker! Thank the Night Mother you are here," Vicente walked quickly to where we stood by our patients.

"Do you have the poisoned weapon?" Lucien began to unpack his Alchemy kit.

"We have the arrow that pierced Gogron's arm," Antoinetta handed Lucien the deadly missile.

It seemed like an age until Lucien stood and sighed.

"I know this poison well," he said, choosing his words with care.

"Can you cure them, then?" Talaendril asked hopefully.

"Forgive me, Sister, but there is no known cure. All attempts at saving a poisoned man have failed," Lucien bowed his head regretfully.

"No," whispered Talaendril.

"What are the components in the poison?" I turned to Lucien as Talaedril sank to the ground in woe.

"What do you wish to accomplish by knowing this?" there was sadness in those dark eyes, a regretful hint.

"Just tell me!" I was ordering a Speaker to tell me. I must have had a death wish.

"Well, I have the recipe here," he handed me one of the slips of parchment.

I studied it for a few moments.

"Is there a secluded place I can work in?" I asked all there.

"I will show you," Lucien packed his kit and led me to a wall at the back of the Sanctuary, next to Vicente's room. He pushed a block shaped vaguely like a dagger. Suddenly, the wall disappeared, revealing a room filled with ingredients and alchemy kits.

"I come to this place when I am here, to ease my mind after a day of work," he motioned me into the room.

It was bigger than I had thought, easily fitting the two of us.

"This is perfect," I started to gather the ingredients used in the poison.

Lucien didn't leave me, as I had expected, but he stayed and helped, the two of us working through the night.

Finally, as daybreak beckoned, we had concocted what looked like a cure. We weren't sure if it would work, but it was damn well better than just watching our Brothers dying. We had tested it on blood samples from both victims, and it had worked, but we couldn't know for sure how it would affect the blood inside the body. Either it would cure them, or kill them immediately.

In the commons, I saw Talaendril, Ocheeva and Teinaava sharing a small meal. Vicente and Antoinetta were watching Gogron and M'raaj-Dar.

"Do you have a cure?" Talaendril's voice was strained. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen from crying.

"Well, it's as close as we can get," I saw that M'raaj-Dar was awake. His big amber eyes gazed at me with a calm knowledge.

"Please, Sister, let me take the first dose. If it doesn't work, you will still have a chance to save Gogron," his usually growly voice was weak and he said this in almost a whisper.

His comment shocked me at first. I was saddened to think that he had to be close to death to admit his affection towards his Family.

I did as he wished. I pressed a sterilized blade to his arm, where I then placed a hollow needle in the cut. I carefully poured the antidote down the needle and into his bloodstream. His eyes closed, his body became more relaxed as I replaced the needle, vial and dagger on a cloth on the floor.

We all sat, holding our breaths, by M'raaj-Dar, our Khajiit Brother. Years seemed to pass until his eyes flickered open once more, a grin spreading over his features.

"It seems this one will survive to kill again," his voice was stronger than before, but still weaker than usual.

I repeated the process of administering the antidote on Gogron. The cure was affecting his body faster than it had M'raaj-Dar. The Orc was soon standing and crushing me in a massive hug.

I was too relieved to care if any of my ribs were broken.

Later, after a celebratory midnight meal, where I secretly ate nothing, I sought a place where I could be alone. Again, the Training Hall was empty, as everyone was sleeping.

I began my process of mourning again. I prayed, and trained, this time forgoing the sharpening of my blade, until I could barely stand. I then sat quietly in the corner of the room, head bowed to my knees, thinking of how I nearly lost two Brothers to this day.

Why must the gods torture me so? Why today, of all days?

I thought of my mother, my sister, my boy. It was still too painful to say his name, love him as I might. I don't think I could ever love someone so much.

Tears welled up in my eyes before trickling down my cheeks. One stray droplet slid down my nose and hung on the tip. It stayed there for a few seconds and then jumped off to join the others on my long hair. Quietly sobbing, I didn't notice anyone enter the room until I felt an arm slide around me comfortingly.

I opened my eyes and raised my head to see a blurry figure. I wiped away the tears, and I was surprised to see who it was.

"Why do you cry so, my dear Sister? Have we not saved the lives of our Brothers?" Lucien deep voice calmed me somewhat.

"I do not wish to seem ungrateful for their recovery. I am happy to see them alive and well, but before all this happened, I was sitting here, mourning for those I lost many years ago yesterday, when everything I loved was taken from me.

"Fifteen years ago, my mother was poisoned. I knew who the murderer was and stole the vial off of him. I smelled its contents and knew she was murdered. It was the same poison that Gogron and M'raaj-Dar were infected with. I have spent many years trying to find out who did this, but to no avail. If I saw the man, I would recognize him and probably kill him on the spot," there was a murderous quality to my voice that was still quivering slightly from sadness.

"It has also been four years since my sister was killed," and four years since I last saw him. "I have claimed my revenge for that, but I still miss her. She was the only one who truly understood me. She was the kindest heart I have ever known. Two days after the day of her death, she was supposed to marry her love. He was a kind man, son of a merchant, and he loved her dearly. She was infatuated by him, and it wasn't long before they were betrothed. Sometimes, I think what would have happened if I had been with her, at the time of the murder. I wonder if we would have survived, or both been killed," Why was I telling him this? I bowed my head again, hiding the tears that threatened to pour down my face at the thought of my sister.

"Eveandril," he said no more as he pulled me into a soft embrace. I buried my head against his chest, grateful for his warmth and comfort.

I don't know how long we sat there, but when he finally broke the embrace, I thought it too soon.