The trio reached the dining hall without seeing anyone. The cavern itself was void of life, due to the rest of the Brotherhood having already gone to bed.
They seated themselves at the table and Lucien began eating. Kedi tapped her fingers against the wooden table as she wondered how long Astrid had been away with Veezara. After all these years, she'd never gotten used to keeping track of time beneath the ground, but it had been long enough to make her worry.
But it was as though her thoughts had summoned them, for Astrid strolled into the room in the next moment, with Veezara and Arnbjorn in tow. They looked unharmed, and Astrid's face boasted a wide grin. Deservedly so, for she produced a large coin purse and a thick gold amulet from her satchel, declaring the contract genuine and the reward to be over 20,000 sovereigns.
Then the sight of Lucien pierced the joy of success that fogged Astrid's mind, as he sat silently eating just as expected, having been dead for two centuries. She turned her suddenly serious gaze on Kedi, and asked if he'd talked yet.
Kedi nodded. "He is Lucien Lachance, brought back to life by Sithis in order to serve m-… us. The Dread Father seems to think we'll need some help with our contract. That's all."
Astrid studied the silent, dark man. "He does look familiar, but how do you know he is who he says? Have you checked the library for a portrait or description?"
"No, but…" Kedi stammered, before looking to Nock for answers. Thankfully, the elf spoke up.
"I can sense that his claims are true, and the darkness of the Dread Father's domain still clings to him." Her face was impassive as she spoke in the monotonous voice she used when talking about her strange powers.
Astrid glanced at the elf as she explained, and turned back to Kedi. "We can trust her?" Kedi nodded, determination shining in her yellow eyes. "Then I'll trust you, but it's still on you if this goes wrong."
"I know. Lucien needs somewhere to sleep, and with my extra space already taken up by Nock, I don't know where to put him…"
"I thought this would come up. See if anyone has any extra bedrolls, and he can sleep by the reading nook in the library. Stack them to make it more comfortable." She waved towards the stairs that led up to Kedi's favourite area. "It won't be private, but I'm sure the man just feels grateful that he's alive." The Matron stalked out of the room, with Arnbjorn following her like a guard dog. Veezara joined the trio and began picking at the food on the table, giving Kedi a smile.
"When is Astrid planning to leave?"
"We already did." His smile broadened as Kedi's eyes widened.
"The man is nearby, then?"
"Momentarily. We met him within a small cave system. He wore fancy clothes and had a bodyguard, so I suppose he was a noble of some sort, perhaps from Cyrodiil. They exchanged a few, quiet words that I could not catch, along with a golden amulet that Astrid immediately fastened around her neck. I didn't get a good look at it, and it hasn't appeared from beneath her shirt since. There was a peculiar look on her face as we left the caves though, and I swear I felt that dog's stare on me the whole journey back. It's a feeling I haven't felt since they last time someone tried to mug me."
"Strange." Kedi touched a hand to her scars as she stared at the table, getting lost in her own thoughts. Nock sat motionless as Veezara solemnly picked at the food that Lucien wasn't still wolfing down. After a moment of silence, Kedi blinked and glanced at Lucien. "I wonder if Babette and Gabriella have gotten anywhere with that poison."
Nock cocked her head to the side. "Most likely. Babette's centuries of experience have made her quite competent, and Gabriella seems very… helpful. Her Dunmer blood also gives her the advantage of time." She turned to Kedi, her depthless eyes almost quizzical. "How many years does she have?"
Kedi shrugged. "I'm not sure; we've never really talked about it. Why?"
"I'm curious. I remember they used to live for almost as long as the Altmer. I'm curious how the change affected their lifespan." She eyed Kedi for a moment longer. "You're a Breton. How old are you?"
Kedi raised her eyebrows and looked away, while Veezara grinned. "You know, I've never managed to get that out of you, Kedi…"
She cleared her throat. "Yes, well. I believe Dunmer in general live to be around 300 years, instead of the millennium Altmer are blessed with. And I don't see how it matters, but… I have 43 years."
"And yet, you look to have only about twenty years. Interesting." She glanced at Veezara. "And you?"
"50 years. Argonians can live for much longer if they remain in their homeland, but elsewhere…" He hesitated and glanced at Kedi. "I most definitely won't live past 100 years. I left Black Marsh quite young."
"Interesting. Very interesting. Thank you for sharing your knowledge; I've been out of touch for such a long time." The Bosmer nodded to each of the three before standing. "I shall go see how the poison is progressing, if you wish, Kedi."
Kedi raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Thank you, Nock."
The elf stalked from the room silently, and it was only a moment later that Kedi was glancing between Veezara and Lucien nervously, though neither of them paid her much heed. Eventually she stood and moved to examine one of the banners hanging on the wall; crimson with the Brotherhood's white symbol of an eye in the centre. She ran the material through her fingers a few times before turning back and beckoning to Veezara. He was at her side in seconds.
"What's wrong?" He rasped.
Kedi hesitated before looking into his bright green eyes. "Do you ever… think about leaving the Brotherhood?"
Veezara's dark green lips turned down in an awkward reptilian frown. "Leaving? No, can't say I really do. Why?"
The crimson-haired Breton shrugged a shoulder. "Sometimes, I think… I might like to leave. Go somewhere quiet and live a calmer life. Simpler, you know?"
"I understand the reasoning behind it, but… I've never desired it, myself."
"Really? If you only have-"
"What? 40, maybe 50 years? That isn't so short a time, Kedi. I'm not an old man." He smiled at her fondly.
"I know…" She sighed. "I just don't cherish the thought of living another half century without you."
"You don't have to. I'll make damn sure Sithis lets me look out for you. You'll feel me as though I'm still fighting at your back, I guarantee it. I'll do my best to stay with you, regardless."
Veezara wrapped his arms around his lover and pulled her to him as she smiled up at him. Even when everything seemed so bleak, he always managed to make her smile. From within his embrace, Kedi glanced at the table and saw Lucien watching them with a curious look on his face. Her face flushed, surprisingly, and she felt herself pulling back.
That's when she heard the whispering.
"It seems the children have been misbehaving."
Her eyebrows knitted together as she frowned.
"You must listen to your Mother. Come, child." The voice was louder now, and felt sickly sweet. Its laughter echoed around her skull like a child's voice, but it held a wicked edge to it.
"Do you hear that?" She asked Veezara.
"Hear what?"
"We will fix this mess."
"That voice… You don't hear that?"
Lucien sprang to his feet and was at her side in moments. "What do you hear, Kedi?"
"I… I know Astrid is lying. She must be."
Veezara's frown deepened, but the corners of Lucien's mouth curled up with a grin.
"How do you know?" Veezara asked, his scaled brows drawn together.
"I just heard the Night Mother's voice."
