I really should have announced a hiatus or something, but I kept writing down a paragraph here, a paragraph there. So I knew I was writing even if I didn't post anything. Still, sorry for the wait. I'm still deciding if it will be one or two more chapters after this one, but I am trying to finish it up. Enjoy!

It had been a few weeks of work, but well worth it. The manor was actually livable with furniture and furnishings from the basement now set into place around the house. But that had been later on the list. The first thing was the removal of those bodies from that secret room down in the basement where Lorgren had been trapping their souls inside the house. He'd apparently stolen the bodies from the chapel's crypt while he was still alive. Sharah got the corpses out of the room and into the basement proper before sealing the secret door and calling on the Chapel. The priests were only too happy to come to Benirus Manor and take the dead away to be properly entombed again.

And during the course of this delightful visit regarding the handling and removal of long dead bodies, Sharah received another visitor: a mage from the local Mages Guildhall who called herself Carahil. Sharah had never spent much time with the mages, so this womer was a stranger. But apparently Carahil, now the leader of the local chapter, had been the one to lead the raid on Benirus Manor all those years ago when Lorgren's necromantic experiments had set the city against him. The magister thanked Sharah for finally destroying the lich and offered to scour the manor for any other signs of his presence. Sharah accepted and they wandered the building while the priests removed the bodies of Lorgren's victims one by one.

Sharah was actually curious as to how Lorgren had avoided the raid as he had. The mages had come in force to stop him. But he'd still managed to get away and hide himself in that secret room. Minus one appendage. Sure enough, when Carahil reached the lower level she passed right over the hidden door without noting anything. Hm, so the room was hidden physically and magically. That was something to remember. The magister declared the manor free of Lorgren's influence—something Sharah could have told her to begin with—and the priests removed all the remains before the afternoon. This left Sharah with the manor properly at her disposal for the first time since she'd bought it.

It took a couple of weeks to get things put to rights. There was so much to do. Rugs and carpets had to be dug out of the basement storage, the furniture needed to be measured and selected for certain spaces before she even tried moving any of the pieces upstairs and into their final places, and all the little bits and bobs and necessities had to be set around so the house didn't look bare of life. Sharah got a lot of help from her guildmates on furniture. And it had been a fun few days. Up and down the stairs, into and out of the basement, carrying chairs and tables and boudoirs. And quite a number of stubbed toes, pinched hands, and the yelling of things like "put it down, I have to get a better grip" and "back up, it's not gonna fit" and "no, your other right".

It had been a whole lot of crazy, but they'd been a great help and the work had gone quickly. Sharah couldn't have done it alone. And despite the pains of it, her guildmates had been happy to help. Especially when she'd let them raid the wine cellar and they'd spent that night stone-drunk in the dining hall. The manor actually seemed alive again. And it was a miracle they hadn't broken anything.

Sharah got a better feel for the house's blood binding while they worked. The manor wasn't alive, per say. It didn't have a soul and it wasn't intelligent. But it did have a certain awareness to it. And having a living soul bound to the place instead of a lich helped. Sweeping became almost unnecessary as the layer of dust that had accumulated all over the house seemed to make its way out though windows and under doors in the first week. Stains on the walls either faded on their own or became a lot easier to clean. The dead garden started growing. Even the windows let in more light.

But there were things Sharah had to do on her own. The house couldn't replace shutters, mend broken glass or missing shingles. Those were Sharah's tasks. She ordered the windows from Lelles' Quality Merchandise and had enough local supplies to get everything else. Sharah had a long list of all the little things that needed fixing and it kept her busy while she waited. Waited for Captain Lex to show up. That had been the point of all this. Admittedly, she hadn't expected to be quite this busy in the meantime. But, all the same, Sharah was doing all this so she could watch for Lex without being conspicuous. And he had to show up sometime, so Sharah kept at the little repairs.

In the middle of the third week after Lorgren's defeat, in the early morning, Sharah was up a ladder removing the broken windows on the upper floors. The Serpent's Wake had come in yesterday afternoon with her new windows. She probably should have taken these broken ones out a while ago, but there had been so much else to do. And Sharah wanted to have the spaces open and waiting for the new glass before she went and picked it up. The shutters were on the porch waiting to go in after. She'd probably have to rig something up to get them to the second floor, or hire someone else to do it.

"Hail!"

Sharah jerked in surprise and nearly fell off the ladder. She whipped around, ready to shout at whomever had picked that moment to startle her and halted mid-breath. "Captain Lex." Sharah left her task and slid down the ladder, dusting off her hands as she went down the walk to greet him. "What are you doing here? And what are you wearing?" Not a hesitation, not a tell, not a sign that she had expected to see him here and in an Anvil Captain's uniform.

Hieronymus Lex, stout and true, stood straighter and replied, "I was reassigned here from the Imperial City to be Captain of the Anvil City Watch."

Sharah smiled. "Congratulations!" After a moment of silence from him, she cocked her head. "Not congratulations?"

Lex's usual demeanor faltered, and scowl slipped through. "My reassignment is outrageous. All my work, everything I've done and the Gray Fox still has his way in the end."

Sharah asked, "The Gray Fox? What does he have to do with anything?"

Captain Lex replied, "He's behind my transfer. I know it. He finally got fed up with my interference on the Waterfront and had me moved across the province. What better way to get me out of his territory?"

Sharah didn't feel bothered that Lex attributed his transfer to the Gray Fox. In fact, she was only too happy to let the Fox take the blame for her actions. He was a regular scape goat. "Lex, you don't know that—"

The old fire came into his eyes. "How else would I end up here?" he demanded.

"Because you earned it," she told him. "You were the best captain they had in the capital. Of course Anvil would want you if they had a choice. And…maybe this is a good thing. Look, Lex…Captain. I don't know if the Gray Fox had any part in you being reassigned. But the only spot on your record in the Imperial City was your…exuberant pursuit of the Fox. You don't have that here. Or at least not yet."

He glared at her. "So you think I should give up and let that thief do what he wants with me?"

Sharah sighed. "No, of course not. I'm just saying…look at what you have before you start rocking the boat." She saw a hint of recognition. Just a small sign of her words taking root, even if his expression remained hard. It was enough that he would think on that. And hopefully one day accept his new place with some zeal. Sharah really wanted him to do well here.

Captain Lex recovered his pleasantries enough to ask, "So, what brings you to Anvil?"

Sharah threw her hand gleefully out toward the manor. "Fixing up my new house."

He looked the building over, "You bought this?"

She grinned. "You thought I was gonna live on the Waterfront all my life? Besides, this was being offered so cheap I just had to jump on it. Although you'll never guess why the price was so low."

Before Hieronymus could ask, a guardsman came running up the street to the captain, completely out of breath. "Captain Lex…the docks…massacre!"

The man had barely gasped out the words and Lex was off at a run. Sharah took a split moment to snatch up Chillrend off her porch and went after him. Lex glanced over at her briefly when she caught up and kept pace, but said nothing as they ran together toward the docks. A crowd was already gathered and milling around on the dock, looking past a line of guards at a particular ship. The Serpent's Wake. Sharah almost groaned. It had to be the one that was coming in with her stuff, didn't it?

Lex quickly went about doing…his job. The guards had already set up a perimeter, but Lex took over and was quickly organizing them in a better fashion about it. Sharah watched him, kind of admiring how he could take charge so easily, when a particularly distressed Altmer woman seated on a crate nearby caught her eye. The womer looked positively traumatized and no one else seemed to have noticed her as the ship was still the center of attention.

Sharah's maternal instinct lifted its head and she walked over. "Are you alright?"

The Altmer was trembling like a leaf, holding her arms tightly around herself. "Dead. They're all dead. I saw them. Just ripped open…blood, everywhere."

Sharah reached out and gingerly patted her shoulder, afraid to set the woman off with a touch intended to comfort. "I'm sorry. But you're alright. Everything is going to be fine." Lex looked to have things well in hand. The citizens were being moved back and they were already scouring the ship's deck and assembling a team to go inside.

The womer was still speaking. "It was…horrible. I've never seen anything…and then they attacked me."

Sharah's attention was abruptly brought back fully. "Who attacked you?"

"The spirits of the crew. Someone murdered them…horribly! And their spirits are still on the ship. I barely escaped."

Sharah looked back at the dock and saw Lex choosing men to go below deck. He couldn't know what was waiting down there. She rushed forward, weaving like water through the crowd to reach the man. "Lex…Captain, you can't let your men go in there."

He took note of her coming out of the perimeter and frowned, his official's bearing returned. "You need to step back and let us do our jobs."

When a guard made to push her to the perimeter, she shoved him back. "There are wraiths onboard."

That stopped everyone within hearing distance in their tracks, guard and civilian. Lex recognized the potential for a panic and beckoned Sharah forward. In a hushed tone he asked, "How do you know that?"

Sharah indicated the mer woman as inconspicuously as possible. "She saw them. They attacked her before she got away." The onlookers might not have been able to hear her anymore, but there were plenty of guards still close by and many were getting uneasy. Guardsmen were normally faced with bandit raids and drunken brawls in the line of their duties. Wraiths and the undead were not something they dealt with often. Sharah didn't even hesitate. "Let me help. I probably have more experience with the undead than most of these men. I'll help clear the wraiths so you can do your work."

One of the braver guards said, "Captain…maybe it would help to have some additional help with this…situation."

Sharah laid her hand on the pommel of her sword, all business. Even though she despised the undead, the fact remained—"This is what I do."

Lex hesitated for a moment. But he must have seen enough uncertainty in his men to decide on his course. "Alright. But not alone. Langley, Arius, go with her."

Sharah trotted up the boardwalk with the two guards in tow. She actually knew that the older one had been the former Captain of the guard, the one that the Countess had wanted replaced. Hopefully he'd be more useful on the force than he'd been in an authority position.

XXX

Sharah the Wolf and the two guards went below deck of the Serpent's Wake. Most of the rest of the guards retreated to the dock. Only the bravest stayed on deck, ready in case the warrior and men came up with wraiths right behind them. Back at the crowd of civilians, a Redguard pushed his way to the front. "What's happening?" he asked.

One of the guards answered, "There is a situation on the Serpent's Wake. Please remain behind the perimeter."

"I'm of the Fighters Guild. Can we offer assistance?"

Captain Lex was near enough to hear and responded, "No. We already have one civilian involved. We don't need any more."

The Redguard acknowledged the decision, but smiled and said to himself. "Citizen? Two guesses who that might me."

A Dunmer woman appeared at his shoulder. "Rhano, what's happening?"

He replied to her, "The Wolf is at it again."

Upon hearing the name, Lex perked up and shifted his attention to them,."You know her?"

Rhano nodded. "Of course. She's Fighters Guild, and I'm responsible for the local chapter. May I ask what exactly you've sent her into?"

Lex put him straight. "I didn't send her into anything. She…insisted."

Rhano actually laughed. "Sounds about right. In fact, I doubt you could have stopped her."

There was a sound from within the ship that drew everyone's rapt attention. But as the silence afterward stretched on, talk cropped up again. The Dunmer womer leaned toward her companion, "There's still time to change your bid."

"Why?"

"Well, she bought a house in town. And she's getting involved with the guard."

Rhano shook his head. "Llensi, that doesn't mean a thing. Trust me when I tell you that she'll be out before the end of the week."

With the situation holding, Lex had taken to listening to their conversation. "What's this about?" his curiosity compelled him to ask.

The Redguard hesitated and then shrugged, "Just a Guild thing we do for fun. When Sharah shows up in town, we put together a pot and take bets on when she'll be out on the road again. It usually depends on the sorts of contracts she has. But the Wolf doesn't usually stay anywhere more than a month. Just be glad she was here when this happened. You'll be hard pressed to find a better fighter."

The Dunmer, Llensi, asked, "So what is she doing in there?"

Captain Lex kept his sense of authority. "Assisting the guard in securing the ship. We'll know more about the situation when they return and we can begin our investigation."

As if on cue, the deck's door opened and the three who'd gone inside reemerged into the daylight. Langley was supporting a rather pale Arius while Sharah walked straight and resolute, looking for all the world like she did this every day. And they appeared unhurt. Sharah picked Lex out and went to him immediately. "The spirits have been removed. Nine victims, captain included. No survivors. Someone really went at them. Not the worst I've seen. But certainly one of."

Captain Lex looked at the other two, a little concerned for Arius's state. "Did something happen in there?"

Sharah glanced back as the soldier was carefully lowered onto a crate. "No…well, yes. Arius wasn't quite ready for what we found. He…uh…may have left some sick near the mid deck ladder. No injuries from the wraiths, though. And whoever you have investigating should have a strong stomach."

Captain Lex nodded to her. "I'll take things from here. And…thank you." The time she'd spent below deck had given him a short time to think. Just enough to kindle a slight suspicion as to how Sharah the Wolf was so often present during events he attributed to the Gray Fox and the Thieves Guild. But only a bit. Seeing her now, stout in the face of death and battle, she could not be a thief. Or even in league with thieves. And so he cast the suspicion from his mind. And, when he had more time to lend to his thoughts, Lex might yet consider the Wolf's earlier advice to him.

Sharah grinned at him. "Any time. Truly." Then she trotted down the boardwalk and into the crowd.

Rhano and Llensi followed to intercept and doubtless question her on what had happened on board. But Lex caught Rhano's comment to Llensi before they all disappeared from view. "Yeah, that's the Wolf."

Yup, that's the Wolf. And Lex is left none the wiser. Finally we can get back to some degree of normal...yeah, right.