A/N: Thank you so much to my reviewers and readers! I hope this chapter's okay, I've been franticly writing to try and get this in before Christmas tomorrow. Thanks again for reading! =)

Chapter 7

It's been nearly a month since M'raaj-Dar and Gogron were poisoned, and they're already back accepting contracts. M'raaj-Dar had even apologized for how he had treated me when I first came.

I was sitting in the kitchen, enjoying a meal with my Siblings, speaking about our latest contracts. I told them of my task to kill the warlord Roderick in his base, Fort Sutch. I had had to replace the Redguard's medicine with poison without any of his henchmen noticing me, an easy venture for one who was versed in Illusion. As a reward, Ocheeva had given me a sizable amount of gold and a beautiful gown she called the Deceiver's Finery. I had also helped Teinaava and Ocheeva track down an old friend of theirs. Well, his refusal to carry out an assassination for the Argonian Royal Court and ultimate betrayal to the Shadowscales led to their friendship ending. As they still had feelings for the renegade, they sent me instead to murder him and take his heart as proof of the deed. I did as they wished, and refused the ex-Shadowscale's offer of survival.

"I wish to thank you again, Eva, for all you have done for us. You saved the lives of our beloved Brothers and you have helped Ocheeva and me reward the punishment worthy of that renegade Shadowscale," Teinaava grinned at me, a slight sadness to his eye as he thought of the Argonian he spent most of his life with.

"Lucien did most of the work with the antidote, I only helped," I said, my pointed ears burning with embarrassment and pride. "And it was a pleasure to help you two. I am just grateful to have everyone here, alive and well."

"Aw, don't be modest! If it hadn't 'ave been for ya, M'raaj-Dar and I'd 'ave been long cold in the ground; you were the one who had the desperate idea to create the cure! I'm sure as Oblivion glad to be here, aren't you, M'raaj-Dar," Gogron boomed, as always.

"This one is simply thankful to be breathing and enjoying a meal with his Family," M'raaj-Dar shrugged.

We all retired to the commons after our breakfast. As the others talked, I found myself thinking more and more of Lucien. I hadn't seen him since we were in the Training Room, and, though I hate to admit it to myself, I miss his presence. He listened to my tale, and had comforted me in my time of need, and for that I was grateful.

Antoinetta roused me from my thoughts.

"Hey, Eva would you like to do some weapons training?" she was the most skilled with the dagger out of all of us here.

"Sure," I replied, mentally shaking my head to clear it of these thoughts.

We excused ourselves from the table and made our way to the Training Hall. There, we spent a few hours training with wooden daggers, and afterwards joined our Family in the Common Room. Cups of coffee and tea were poured and we sat nursing them and speaking of strange topics.

"Last year, I had to kill a man who had eaten some poor soul's daughter. This man even tried to eat me! It was just as well he was in a secluded area when he tried, or I might have had to forfeit the bonus!" Antoinetta laughed.

"What's everyone's problem with cannibalism? So long as you don't eat the brain, human meat is the same as any other," I said, just for the sake of argument. I hated cannibalism, but I just wanted to see where this conversation would turn next. "Why is eating cows or pigs different from eating a human?"

"So many people are starving while nobles are getting fat off of their hardship," Talaendril piped up.

"What if we fed all the fat nobles to the starving villagers?" Gogron continued the topic.

"We would solve both problems of hunger and snooty nobles. And when these are taken care of," M'raaj-Dar grinned savagely, pausing for effect, but Ocheeva interrupted.

"We could revert back to the normal meats, like cows, chickens and pigs!" we all burst out laughing. We talk of the strangest things sometimes.

"What an interesting topic. Being a drinker of blood, would I classify as a cannibal?" Vicente put on a mock hurt tone.

"Well, do you eat the meat of your victims?" I grinned mischievously.

"No, I just take the blood," he smiled, showing his small, pointed fangs.

"Then you're only a vampire, not a cannibal," I said, matter-of-factly.

"And that's better?"

"Yeah, vampires are better behaved!" Antoinetta managed to say before she doubled over in a fit of laughter.

"Tea or coffee, Vicente?" Ocheeva asked changing the topic before it got out of hand.

"Coffee, thank you," he sat on one of the many comfortable chairs surrounding a coffee table.

"Have any new contracts come in yet?" I had been in the Sanctuary for over two weeks without so much as a small assignment.

"Yes, there's a couple that need completing, but I've already tasked Talaendril and Gogron with them," Vicente seemed to understand my restlessness.

"If you'd come to my quarters later, there's something we need to discuss," Ocheeva smiled at me.

Was my completion of the last contract so unsatisfactory that they won't give me another? Or is this about something else?

Ever since my promotion to Eliminator, I've been taking contracts from Ocheeva. I was surprised when all my family had not been jealous, instead were just happy to see me excel in what I was doing.

~{::}~

I knocked on Ocheeva's door, slightly nervous.

"Come in, Eveandril," Ocheeva was the only one in this sanctuary that still called me by my full name, the others instead calling me 'Eva.' She was who she was, and she preferred to call me by my full name, which I didn't mind at all.

Ocheeva was looking unusually mischievous when she motioned me to sit on one of the chairs at her table.

"Do you like parties?" she grinned widely when I shot her a surprised look, "Because you've been invited to one. Of course, you'll be killing all the other guests. Are you ready to hear more?"

"Always," I said excitedly. A multiple target contract! This should be fun.

"Great! You need to go to the city of Skingrad to a large house known as Summitmist Manor. There, you will meet up with five very unlucky guests. Each guest has wronged their mysterious host at some point in the past. Now, he has hired us to exact his revenge.

"In order to receive your bonus, you must kill each guest secretly, one by one. If anyone sees you committing murder, the bonus is forfeit.

"The guests believe there is a chest of gold hidden in the house, and have agreed to be locked inside until one of them finds it. In fact, the guests believe the key to the manor is inside the chest, and only by satisfying their greed will they be allowed to leave. The poor fools; there is, of course, no chest of gold, and so the guests will find no key. After you arrive, the doors will be locked behind you, as everyone expects. When all the guests are dead, you will be free to leave. Any questions you have will be answered by the doorman, who is the one who contacted us. Have fun, Sister. I wish I were going with you," she grinned at me.

"Thank you, Ocheeva. I won't disappoint," I left the room, head buzzing with excitement.

After a couple hours of packing my bags and explaining my contract to my Brothers and Sisters, I left for Skingrad in an extremely good mood.

~{::}~

I was greeted by the doorman outside Summitmist Manor. He answered all my questions, gave me the key to the manor, and locked the doors behind me when I entered, wearing an old dress. The dress was one that told of lost fortune, but also of nobility, which suited my disguise perfectly as a woman who married a poor duke and came here in desperation.

I was greeted by an old woman, Matilde Petit, who I immediately disliked, though I didn't show it. She was so snooty and seemed to have a poor opinion of Elves, from the way she glared at me when she thought I wasn't looking.

I met the other guests after a brief exchange with Matilde. There was a Nord named Nels the Naughty, a Redguard named Neville, a Dunmer called Dovesi Dran and Primo Antonius, an Imperial.

Though as big as all Nords, Nels was a kind soul; he told me that Dovesi reminded him of his daughter. I was almost sorry I had to kill him, but when the time came, I enjoyed the feeling of his blood flowing over my hands.

The Redguard, Neville, was an ex-Imperial Legion soldier, very strict, and obsessed with order. He had the dark skin associated with Redguards and the black hair and dark eyes too. Though he usually cooperated with the other guests, he seemed to loath the Nord. He disliked Nels and Nels disliked him, all because of old battles. Charming him was extremely easy, despite his military background and the kill was completed without suspicion falling on me.

Dovesi was a kind Dunmer woman, who, I managed to find out, was infatuated with Primo. She was beautiful for a Dark-Elf, with dark blue skin, jet black hair and crimson eyes. She was not a noble, but she carried herself like one. Typical, I thought, it is hard to find an Elf who acts like a commoner, not a stuck-up noble.

I had wondered what a rich noble like Primo was doing on a treasure hunt, but I realized that, like all rich citizens, he only wished to become wealthier, like a man with power will strive for more power. He, too, was in love with Dovesi, which worked well to my advantage.

It was quite simple to kill them all without the others knowing.

Matilde was my first kill. I had lured her into the basement, making sure the others thought I was upstairs, and slit her throat. Because Dovesi was supposed to be there with her, the murder was pinned on the poor Dunmer.

Primo and I were the only one who believed Dovesi's cries of innocence. Nels had his doubts, but Neville was convinced she was the killer.

Next, I had helped Primo and Dovesi admit their feelings towards one another, and told them to rendezvous in Dovesi and my room. I crept in while he was wooing her and killed both of them without a sound, making sure they looked as if they had taken their own lives so as to avoid the anger of Primo's father when he found out his son had run off with a Dunmer commoner.

Neville was now sure that Nels was the culprit, and so they almost came to blows, had I not stopped them. I wanted to kill them myself, not have them destroy my fun by killing themselves.

I found Nels drinking on the night after Dovesi and Primo were found dead. I joined him and, unbeknownst to Nels and Neville, who was upstairs, I slipped some poison into his drink. As he was chocking, I saw disbelief in his eyes, then the gaze turned into one of anger and finally acceptance before his body stoped shaking and the light behind his eyes extinguished forever.

I stole up the stairs to Neville's bedroom, where he was donning his Legion armour. I crept behind him and slit his throat. I stood there for a while, the thrill of the kill coursing through my veins. I could barely stand, for the feeling of bloodlust being quenched is, for lack of a better word, amazing. All this death was caused by me, by my blades and poison.

I made my way downstairs, making sure to place a nightshade flower in each of the bodies. A beautiful star-lit night greeted me as I exited the manor. Breathing the warm summer air for a moment, I sighed before activating my Chameleon spell and stole into the night.

~{::}~

The journey back to Cheydinhal felt very short in my elated state.

When I returned to the Sanctuary, I immediately made my way to Ocheeva's quarters.

"Come," was the answer to my knock.

"Ah, Eveandril! Were you successful in your goals?" she needed not ask, for she already knew the answer. Lucien had once said the Dark Brotherhood knew a great many things, and this was proof.

Ocheeva stood and pulled me into a sisterly embrace.

"Well done! Not only did you kill the five guests, you acted as an agent of terror and grief as well. You have earned you reward and bonus," she grinned proudly.

She pressed her right hand to my forehead and her left to my heart. Confused for a moment, I didn't realize what she was doing until a blue light enveloped me. I felt the embrace of the Night Mother and held it close to my heart.

"I award you with the Night Mother's Blessing. Well done, Sister," she said as she also handed me a small sack of gold.

"Thank you, Ocheeva," I said, slightly breathless, before excusing myself.

As soon as I reached the Sleeping Quarters, I plopped my bags down at the end of my bed and fell into an exhausted sleep, still in my Dark Brotherhood armour.

~{::}~

"Did you enjoy the party, Eva?" said Antoinetta with good-natured jealousy when I entered the Common Room.

"Very much; they didn't even think of accusing me, I'm just an innocent widow," I grinned maliciously.

"I wouldn't have bothered with all that stealth nonsense, I'd 'ave just," Gogron smiled as we all interrupted him.

"Run through and smashed their heads in with a hammer!" Antoinetta, Talaendril, Teinaava and I said in chorus.

"Yeah! It's more fun than sneaking in and slitting someone's throat while they sleep. I want to see the fear in their eyes as I run towards them with my hammer!" Gogron smiled.

"There is a certain satisfaction to a stealthy kill. I love feeling their pulse beneath my hand as I slit the dagger across their throat, seeing the look of terror when they awaken, realizing that they have only seconds to live," there was a maliciously gleeful tone in my voice as I said this.

"I, too, enjoy that, dear Sister," everyone turned to see who spoke. A hooded figure emerged from the shadows.

"Speaker, it is good to see you," Vicente stood and greeted Lucien.

The rest of us followed suit, all extending greetings to our Speaker.

"Ocheeva, Vicente, may I speak to you for a moment?" Lucien addressed them, but shot a glance my way as he spoke.

Does this have something to do with my latest contract? Is he displeased at my performance? I felt a pang of dread at the thought. His approval had come to mean so much to me.

"Of course," Ocheeva nodded at us to resume our duties. Vicente followed behind her as the Speaker led them to Ocheeva's quarters.

I watched as the others left, Antoinetta, M'raaj-Dar and Teinaava on contracts and Talaendril and Gogron to the Training Room. Sitting on the chair nearest the fire, I decided to study one of the many spell manuals that were lying about.

~{::}~

"Eveandril, may I have a moment?" Ocheeva called me from my reading.

"Of course, Ocheeva," I was cautiously curious as to what they had spoken of. It had obviously concerned me, from the look Lucien gave me, but as to whether it was favourable or unfavourable, I didn't know.

Ocheeva led me to her quarters, and I saw that Lucien and Vicente had already left the room.

"Sit, please," her tone told nothing of what was to happen next.

"Ocheeva, what is this all about," I asked, before adding quickly, "if you don't mind my inquiring, of course."

She simply grinned at me, "a special contract has come through; that is what we were discussing: who to send. We've decided on you, considering the excellent performance you exhibited in your last two contacts."

"What do I have to do?" I was excited and intrigued by this new assignment.

"There is a High Elf by the name of Umbacano living in the Talos Plaza District of the Imperial City. He in an Ayleid artefact collector, and will do anything to get his hands on one. He is almost always surrounded by his hired mercenaries and bandits, so getting to him will be difficult. Kill him and return to me for your reward. To earn your bonus, you must not only remain unseen, you have to dispose of his bandit captain as well. Five days from now, he will be meeting with the troupe of brigands, and that is the time I recommend to strike. Oh, and do have fun," she grinned her toothy Argonian grin.

"Thank you, Sister, I'll do my best," overjoyed, I left Ocheeva to her work and proceeded to the Sleeping quarters to pack my things.

Just before dawn on the second day, I left for the Imperial City.

~{::}~

I arrived in the Elven Gardens District at midday the next day. There, I purchased a room at Luther Broad's Boarding House for ten septims.

After a quick lunch and a chat with the inn keeper, for information of course, I walked around the Talos Plaza District to find Umbacano's house.

It was quite hard to spot, despite the size, as it was hidden very well and was only accessible from a small front door. There was a guard outside the door and one on a small balcony overlooking the plaza that was in front of it. I felt the door guard's eyes upon me as I pretended to admire the city. The door to the mansion opened, revealing another mercenary. He walked up to the waiting doorman and spoke:

"I'm here to relieve you of your duties," he said.

"Good, my feet are killing me," the mercenary guarding the door said. "I'll be over at the King and Queen tavern if you need me."

I walked around the district until it was nearly dark, and I made my way to the King and Queen to enjoy a nice dinner and perhaps meet that hireling. He could be of use to me...

As soon as I entered the building, I spotted the mercenary from earlier sitting at the bar. I sat next to him and ordered some bread, cheese and ale.

I saw him staring, though not trying to. I smiled softly into the ale the barkeep set down in front of me. The mercenary was young, and would be considered handsome by some women, with his dark hair and blue eyes, but to me he was just another person looking to take advantage over those less fortunate. Physical appearance meant nothing to me, I judge people on who they are.

"I saw you outside a couple hours ago," he said, unable to maintain the silence any longer, "you're not from around here, are you?"

"I hail from Skingrad. I'm here to get some ingredients for my uncle's Alchemy shop, but I wanted to see the whole city because it's my first time here," I tried to sound as innocent as I could. Antoinetta and Talaendril had started giving me lessons on acting, so that I could play a part well and reduce my chances of getting caught. "What about you?"

"I'm one of Mr Umbacano's personal guards," he said, puffing out his chest with pride.

"Ooh! Do you get to stop many thieves?" I feigned interest and admiration.

"Hardly a day goes by that I don't kill an assassin or burglar," ignoring his obvious exaggeration, I stared at him with the appearance of awe.

The barkeep placed a large platter of food in front of me. I reached for my purse, but Mr 'Personal Guard' stilled my hand and instead fumbled inside one of his pockets, producing some coins to pay for my meal.

I murmured my thanks, slightly proud of myself because I managed to blush.

"Thank you. Would you like to share dinner? The innkeeper seems to have placed a little too much food for just me alone," I lifted my eyes to meet his.

We shared the meal and spoke much. I learned from Michael -the mercenary- that Umbacano would be leaving tonight at midnight, earlier than Ocheeva had said.

All my planning, useless! I'll have to think of something quick! Oh ho ho! There's an idea...

"Thank you once more for the meal," I smiled sweetly at him, knowing full well that he would take advantage of a girl in debt, "is there any way I can repay you?" Batting my eyelashes at him, I saw him contemplating his next move. "Oh my! It is already dark outside! I really must get back to the Elven Gardens District. I've booked a room for the night at Luther Broad's," I said regrettably as I stood.

"A beautiful woman should not walk these streets alone," he rose from his stool. "Would you like me to escort you back to the inn?"

"How could I refuse an offer from a real guard?" exiting the inn, we walked through the night to the boarding house.

He followed me upstairs and as I entered my small room, he closed the door behind me. I passed the bed and instead sat at the table, pouring two goblets of cheap wine. Unbeknownst to him, I poured a small pink vile of a strong sleeping potion into his cup.

"Would you join me for a glass of wine?" I smiled at him, holding out a goblet.

He accepted the drink with a grin and soon the goblet was empty and he was laying face-down on the floor, fast asleep.

After scattering various pieces of clothing around and placing Michael on the bed to secure my alibi, I changed into my Dark Brotherhood armour, discarded my disguise and stole into the night.

It was almost midnight.

~{::}~

I followed Umbacano to his destination, waiting just outside the camp until I saw him enter the bandit captain's tent, alone. Now was the time to strike.

Keeping to the shadows, I crept into the tent. Umbacano and the captain were in deep conversation so it was easy to creep into a corner to await the perfect time to strike.

I heard movement behind me and before I could slip my Ring of the Shadows on, I felt Silence and Paralysis spells course over me before I was surrounded by Imperial Guards.

I was hit over the head with something hard and blacked out.

A/N Oooh! Cliff-hanger! I'll write the next chapter after Christmas. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!