When Kedi awoke, the bedroll was vacant. It was only when she happened to glance up that she realised where Nock had gone. Every item had been carefully cleared from the top stone shelf and placed on the one below, since the elf now occupied the small space between the ceiling and the top shelf.

"…Nock?"

She rose in an instant, and, with surprising speed and fluidity, managed to reach the ground without hitting her head or knocking anything over.

"Was the bedroll not comfortable?"

"I wanted to be closer to my trees." Nock stared up at the ceiling with an almost wistful look on her face. Despite being rather emotionally peculiar, she did seem to be getting more expressive as they spent more time together.

"If you would like, we could leave the Sanctuary for a short time today. I'd like to go hunting, now that I've returned home."

"Would you not prefer to go alone with your Argonian?"

Kedi's pearly cheeks reddened slightly. "No, he likes to do his hunting beneath the water." She reached beneath the bed and produced a short wooden bow, one she had made herself, and placed it on the bed. "I prefer a bow."

"Of course." Nock turned her black eyes on Kedi in scrutiny, the golden ring almost invisible in the dimly lit room. "Your family shares my blood."

Kedi frowned. "You mean, we are related?"

"All things are. However, I meant simply that you are not part Altmer, like most Bretons. You are Bosmer. You crave the Wild Hunt as I do, and that is why the trees whisper of you to me."

"Ah, yes, the whispers. Can you tell me anything more about that yet?"

Nock smiled; it was a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. "No, not yet… But soon. "


"It's time."

Astrid's eyes sparkled as she made the announcement to the members gathered to break their fast. Festus and Arnbjorn grunted, and Nazir, Babette and Gabriella began muttering next to Kedi, who remained stoic beside Nock and Veezara.

The Matron of the Brotherhood waited until her family, her band of assassins, had fallen quiet and began eating before continuing. "I know it's sudden, and I know it's huge, but if we succeed - when we succeed… It will change Skyrim, even the whole of Tamriel, forever. We'll once again hold the reputation the Brotherhood of old boasted." She cast an eye over the group, meeting everyone's gaze. "We are going to kill the Emperor."

The entire room remained silent, everyone's eyes cast downwards as scepticism battled with fear.

"And how are we going to do that? Did Mother tell you that much?" Kedi asked, trying to keep her attitude from colouring her voice.

"The Emperor is coming to Skyrim to see about ending this rebellion." She waved a hand. "Some fancy cook is coming from High Rock to prepare his meals, and, thankfully, no one in Skyrim knows of his identity – not even the Emperor."

"So… Has the Night Mother revealed his face to you? How do we kill a man whose name and face we do not even know?" Kedi asked.

Astrid's jaw clenched. "No… But Festus and Nazir have more than enough contacts in the region, it shouldn't take long to find him." Nazir shared a wide-eyed look with Festus before they both stuttered a 'yes'.

"We kill the cook and replace him with one of ours?" Festus cackled, trying to smother his nerves. "Oh, Astrid, you never cease to inspire me. We poison his meat? Or put a bomb in his soup?" The old man sat back in his chair, losing himself comfortably in his own wicked ideas.

Kedi smiled. "I think poison would be the best bet, Festus. Sorry to disappoint."

"Babette and I can probably come up with something tasteless; something that'll kill him before he feels anything. With Nock's help, we could probably make something invisible, as well." The Dunmer, Gabriella, glanced between the immortal child and the strange, silent Bosmer.

"Oh, yes! I love making poisons!" Babette clapped her hands together. "I'll check my book while you do the gathering, if you don't mind… Since the sun is still up…" Nock simply nodded in response, offering her help and her vast knowledge of the forest and her plants.

Astrid brought her hands down on the table and grinned. "Excellent. Kedi, take your elf with Gabriella and find some ingredients to make our… gift for the Emperor. Festus and Nazir, get in touch with your men to find out who this damn chef is and where we can find him before he reaches Solitude. Veezara and Arnbjorn, you're coming with me."

"Where are we going?"

"There's a man I need to meet, Veezara. I need you both there in case it's a trap, and if we can afford extra members for a meeting, it makes us look bigger than we are. Never forget the importance of illusion." She shot the Argonian a warning look before dismissing everyone and stalking out of the room.

Before the room was emptied, Veezara approached Kedi, while Babette and Gabriella discussed ingredients with Nock nearby.

"Do you think this seems a little…"

"Weird? Yes." Kedi nodded, her brow wrinkling anxiously. "Who do you think she's meeting with?"

"No idea, but I suppose I'll find out."

"If she's lying about the contract coming from the Night Mother… Do you think she's meeting someone for payment? I mean, what if someone asked her to have us kill the emperor in return for a small fortune in gold? It could be a trap, to end the Brotherhood, or… Who knows, maybe she would willingly sacrifice us for riches."

Veezara placed a rough palm on Kedi's cheek and shushed her. "We don't know that she's lying, and you mustn't say things like that where people can overhear."

"I know, just… Be careful, when you go with them to the meeting." Kedi placed her small hand over his and locked gazes with him for a moment before Veezara gave a small nod. He touched his forehead to hers, and left to find Arnbjorn.

Kedi turned to her small group and they fell silent. "Right," she smiled weakly, "let's get started on our poison!" Babette headed towards her alchemy lab and Gabriella continued bouncing ideas off an ever-quiet Nock as they left the Haven with Kedi as she secured her blindfold.


Lucien Lachance emerged from the dark depths of the void, his body wracked with pain as he took his first breath for two hundred years. He had served the Father in life and death, only to find his servitude lying within life's realm once more. He would live as long as Sithis desired him to, and his work had just begun.